Moment in Time
by Unleashed Reasoning
Summary: Just another day... A day to live and to reflect; a moment to ponder the consequences.
1. Aftermath

**A/N: **This is kinda tied in with Snow's Tranquility. It's simply further down the road and after their big fight with Gal. Or, it can simply stand on it's own. Either way, I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

"You'll get burned," she says softly, watching closely as the blond leans forward towards the fire blazing in front of them.

The blond's nose wrinkles before her lips downturn into a pout.

"Why are you always in here meditating? Don't you get bored?"

The black haired priestess sighs softly. She'd explained many a time why she was in here and what she did. Sadly, the blond forgets.

"I'm making sure things are settled."

"Settled?" asks the blond, brows scrunched together cutely in confusion.

"Yes. I want to know if something is trying to attack us again, so we can prepare for it."

It's the blond's turn to sigh as she backs away and flops down on her back on the mats. "It's not helping. We still don't know anything."

As much as she agreed, the priestess keeps her calm and merely lets her gaze travel back to the fire. "Fire reading requires patience."

Snorting, the blond tries to hold it back, but her giggles escape into the silent room. It earns her an irritated glare from the black haired priestess. "Y-you?" gasps the blond between giggles. "P-patient?!"

Her giggles grow into peals of laughter as she rolls around on the floor. Unfortunately, living up to such an accusation, the priestess rounds on the blond.

"Hush! I have plenty of patience!"

This only serves to make the blond laugh louder. "R-rei! You have no patience! You're too hot tempered!"

The raven haired girl flushes, an angry pout on her lips. "Be quiet! Meatball head!" She hovers over the blond threateningly.

Rolling onto her back and wiping at a few stray tears from laughing so hard, the blond smiles innocently up at the raven haired girl. Unfortunately, it flusters the priestess. Usually such a nickname got the blond riled. However…

"Rei, you're so silly." The smile on the shorter girl's face becomes soft, almost adoring.

All the more flustered by the odd mood change, the priestess huffs and whirls around to face the fire again to hide her embarrassment. "Quit bothering me. I'm trying to see if everything is well."

"Rei, you've checked three times already. If there were any danger, you'd have seen it by now." Moving slowly, almost carefully, the blond moves to kneel next to the priestess. "You should take a break."

"If you're bored, go find the others! They said they were going to the arcade, didn't they?" Rei retorts impatiently. She tries to focus on the fire again, but a soft sigh distracts her. She finds herself peering at the blond out of the corner of her eye.

"Rei, you'll burn yourself out," she says softly, blue eyes locked on the dancing flames before them.

"You realize how ironic that is, right?" Rei comments, deadpan.

A creeping blush spreads across Usagi's cheeks. So the blond hadn't realized. Rei has to force herself not to roll her eyes.

"I-I'm just saying!" stutters Usagi, hands fidgeting in her lap.

"Usagi, the others are probably expecting you. Go get Mamoru to buy you a milkshake."

Usagi shakes her head back and forth like a stubborn child. "No! I'm not leaving til' Rei-chan does!"

Upon hearing 'Rei-chan', the black haired girl can't help but smile slightly. She shakes herself, regaining her poise quickly, lest the blond see her slip.

"I have to finish this fire reading. If I miss something and we're attacked…" She lets her words die out. Usagi merely watches her with sincere eyes.

Before the priestess can say more, Usagi hunkers down and stares at the fire with a childishly solemn face. Rei almost smiles again, but merely sighs and forces herself to focus on the fire again.

Slowly, painstakingly, she forces the blond from her thoughts. She calms herself, relaxing until her only focus is the flickering flames. Time drags on as she searches. She digs as deep as she can, hoping, seeking… But nothing appears. No alarm is sound, no danger announces itself. The fire is silent, silent as the room…

… But for the snoring that is now breaking her concentration.

Rei whips her head around, fully intending to berate Usagi for her callousness… Yet, she stops short.

Usagi is curled up into Rei, hand clutching the priestess's robes. Her head is resting on Rei's shoulder, her brows scrunched with worry in her sleep. Rei's anger slips away from her as she stares down at her sleeping princess. Try as she might, she can't force herself to remain upset.

It'd been weeks since Usagi got a decent nights sleep. None of them had been sleeping well, but Luna had told her that Usagi had been waking up in fits of terror, crying out brokenly in her sleep. Though she'd remained bubbly and bouncy, the strain was easily seen if you looked past the cheery smile. Rei'd been staring at it time and time again, trying desperately to figure out how to help her distraught princess.

Nothing had been forthcoming. She'd been forced to watch as Usagi grew more tired during study sessions and struggled to keep up with her usual chipper visage. Yet, once again, Usagi put her troubles on the backburner and was voicing her worry over Rei's nearly obsessive need to check for danger.

"Rei-chan… you promised," mumbles the blond sleepily, hand clutching Rei's robes tighter.

Rei inhales sharply, eyes widening. Her bottom lip trembles slightly as her eyes tear up. She has to look away from the innocent young girls face to regain some of her composure.

She'd tried to forget that fateful day as much as the others had. They'd each walked away from there carrying scars not visible to the eye. As always, their Princess had walked away with the most, and the deepest. Though the young blond's visage is still innocent, if you look into her eyes, really look, you can see the understanding, the experience there. You see the haunting memories that threaten to spill crystalline like drops of water from those large beautiful blue eyes.

She'd always berated their princess to grow up, to take charge… and oh, how she regrets it. She wishes she could take it back, carry the load for Usagi instead. Seeing Usagi's eyes darken from pain, from memories… it made her heart cry out, made her want to reach out and pull the blond close, murmuring condolences, hoping to erase the misery she sees hidden behind those expressive blue eyes.

But Usagi never wavers. She doesn't fall down in shambles, like she had done so many times before. She doesn't bawl her eyes out, or beg to be free of her destiny. She just keeps walking, just keeps smiling… And Rei is so proud, yet so guilt ridden…

Rei sniffs softly, hand reaching up to absently run her fingers through Usagi's blond locks.

"Oh Usagi… how you've grown…" she says softly, almost wistfully. "You've grown up so beautiful… I just… I almost wish… I could take it all back." A few of the raven haired girl's tears fall and land lightly on the blond's head. A soft, humorless chuckle escapes her lips. "If I had Pluto's power over time…" Rei shakes her head reproachfully. "I probably might… I'd condemn myself… to give you one more chance."

"Rei…" murmurs Usagi, nuzzling into Rei's shoulder. Rei's heart breaks.

"Ah, Usagi…" Rei wraps her arms around the sleeping blond. "If I… changed it, if I… gave you your second chance… I'd steal you… I'd keep you, and never let… let him…" Unable to finish her sentence, Rei mutely puts a chaste kiss on the corner of Usagi's lips. "I would destroy destiny, and I would do everything within my power to keep you safe, to protect you… so you never have to go through any of this… ever."

Absently brushing Usagi's bangs from out of her eyes, Rei frowns sadly. "I'm afraid, all I can do though, is protect you while you sleep." Cuddling the young blond close, Rei slowly lowers them both to the mats. "You will never be alone." With a heavy sigh, she scans Usagi's face one more time before closing her eyes and whispering a small prayer.

Usagi snuggles close, the crease of worry between her brows smoothing out as a small relaxed smile lifts her lips. "Rei-chan…"


	2. Betrayal

*BOOOOM!*

A large explosion sends debris and smoke everywhere. A gaping hole now sits in the wall that had been dividing the two rooms. The distinct sound of heels clacking on the stone floor fills Setsuna's ears and makes a chill run down her spine. As the smoke thins, a lone dark figure starts to emerge.

Swallowing roughly, Setsuna readies her staff and glances briefly at the young Saturn standing next to her. No longer just Hotaru, she'd become the true Sailor Saturn in all her glory, glaive at ready and in a defensive stance. She doesn't look nervous or worried, just confused.

The smoke finally clears; two prone figures come into focus and are sprawled out carelessly in the room across from them. Standing calmly in the huge hole, Sailor Mars stares at them both in silence.

Setsuna has too carefully smooth her features so as not to scowl openly at the fire Senshi. "Why are you doing this?" she says smoothly.

Rei turns her head and allows their gazes to meet. "I learned long ago that you can only see certain outcomes. Those that revolve closest to you, you are prevented from seeing. Another watches in your stead."

Setsuna internally winces. She'd hoped that none of the Inner Senshi would find out that she isn't quite as "all seeing" as she'd lead them to believe. Not that she isn't damn-near close to being all seeing. But, there are limits to her powers. There are certain events she isn't allowed to witness. After all, it is next to impossible to be able to see every single possible future. She mostly sees the most favorable ones or the worst ones. There are a lot of gray areas that she knows exist but she's incapable of accessing. Also, Rei is correct; she is prevented from seeing certain events that stray too close to her and would influence her decisions.

"Why?" asks Setsuna. "Why are you attacking us? We've done nothing to warrant any mistrust. We are just as faithful, if not more so, to the Princess as you are."

"It's not about your faith or your commitment to our Princess. It actually has nothing to do with you at all."

Allowing herself a breath to re-align her thoughts, Setsuna gazes at Rei evenly. Her insides are screaming at her in confusion and helplessness. She'd never felt truely helpless before, and she doesn't like the feeling now. But, she'd never confronted anything that is so unexpectedly indefinable. There is no logic to this sudden attack, and it doesn't seem a logical reason will be forth coming. And, Setsuna dislikes… no, _loathes,_ not knowing. It bothers her more then anything else ever could.

"For once, you've gotten me confused," Setsuna admits calmly, almost warily. "You're not making sense. Why would you attack us if we were not involved in whatever it is your reason for being here is?"

Rei sighs, and for the briefest of moments, Setsuna spots the weight of weariness that surrounds the fire Senshi. It's size is unusually large for someone who, only a few days ago, seemed perfectly at peace.

--**Flashback--**

Usagi's laughter fills the afternoon air. Around her, all of the Senshi, Inner and Outer, are sitting around her, chatting amiably. They'd each agreed to meet up and just hang out. After… Galaxia, things hadn't been the same. Even when they'd tried so hard to push past it, it had hung over them like an ever looming cloud.

They'd avoided much of each other after the first few months of forcing themselves to meet twice a week. They saw things in each others faces that they'd rather forget. They relived painful memories, and felt the ache of mortality in their hearts. It'd… been hard to confront each other for the longest time. They'd all been extra attentive to their Princess. She still seemed delicately fragile. They made sure to make a point of seeing her individually. And the rare times they did meet in groups of two or more, there'd been many uncomfortable silences. Hence, it was far easier to just avoid each other and see one another when necessary.

But, their Princess had been especially down recently. None of them knew why. She never said. But she'd get this look in her eye, this faraway gaze that… just… overwhelmed her features with sadness. She did it unconsciously. And as soon as one of them called out to her, the spell was broken. Yet, none of them could shake the sight from their minds.

Rei had been the one to call. She'd called each and every one of them up and insisted on a get-together. All it took was mentioning their Princess and they all eagerly agreed upon the time and place.

So here they were, out in the sunshine of the park, enjoying the summer heat. It was easier to relax and shake loose of their memories when their Princess was around. Her infectious smile eased their worries enough that they started to relax and enjoy themselves. They were back to their usual joking banter, mostly towards Usagi and her unchanged habit of scarfing food as fast as humanly possible (if not faster).

Rei seemed to be watching Usagi attentively. Not that the others weren't doing the same. Rei just seemed to be more inclined to glance at Usagi more frequently, or stare at her for longer pauses then the others. It wasn't noticeable enough to make comment. However, Setsuna remembered making a mental note of it. Mostly because, even though she was giving Usagi all that extra attention, there was no bickering involved. She stared at Usagi with a calm, almost serene, gaze and hardly spoke unless directly spoken to.

**--End flashback--**

The picnic had gone well. There'd been nothing out of the ordinary to spell out the disaster now occurring, especially since Rei had seemed the most intent upon making sure that Usagi was well.

This act would do nothing more then make Usagi upset with Rei… and no less baffled.

Which made this all the more bizarre. Rei likes to bait and tease Usagi all the time. Their arguments are timeless and unending. However, Rei never hurt Usagi. She never tried to make her truly mad, or truly crush her.

"Rei, does Usagi know you're here?" Hotaru asks calmly.

Rei's calm visage cracks even more when she flinches. "Of course not," she answers bitingly. It's the first spark of temper they'd seen so far. It's almost a relief.

"This will crush the Princess's heart," Setsuna adds.

Rei's eyes snap to her with crackling anger. "I don't need you to remind me, thank you." It's said acidly, but it isn't the shout of outrage Setsuna expected. It actually serves to unnerve Setsuna further.

"Rei, why are you doing this?" It's not often she says her name. She rarely says any of their names; there usually isn't a need to. When she speaks to a person, they know it, and they listen. There's no need to make a further impression by calling their name.

Rei's and Hotaru's eyes widen slightly upon hearing the name. Both give her strange looks, though they keep their own counsel on their thoughts.

Finally, Rei sighs. It's a heavy sigh, and as it's released, her shoulders slump and her eyes drift away from the two Senshi across from her.

"I can't ask for what I'm about to take," she slowly answers.

Setsuna is further on guard immediately, though Hotaru seems to relax slightly.

"What did you want to take?" asks Hotaru, her dark eyes unblinkingly watching the fire Senshi. She is careful, though, not to say 'going to take'.

"The impossible," bluntly answers Rei. Her eyes once more meet theirs.

"That's not an answer," comments Setsuna.

"Neither are most of yours," retorts Rei without hesitation.

Setsuna can't help but regard her in stunned silence. Hotaru smirks ever so slightly, unnoticed.

Rei shrugs impatiently now, her cool slipping again. "Look, just step aside and I'll be on my way."

Setsuna's eyes narrow. "Why did you attack Haruka and Michiru?"

"They didn't step aside either, even though I gave them fair warning."

Setsuna and Hotaru both ready themselves.

"We can't allow you to pass," Hotaru says softly. "You know that."

Rei crosses her arms in a huff. "I know. It pisses me off, but I know. And, I can respect that. However," she uncrosses her arms, "I'm still passing."

They face off, two against one, none bearing any hesitance in their stances.

"What are you after?" Hotaru asks softly, eyes regarding Rei almost pleadingly. "This is very unlike you."

Rei regards the younger Senshi once more. A wealth of unimaginable wisdom and foresight, Hotaru had been one of the few she'd allowed to get under her barbs without lashing out at her for it. Of them all, besides Usagi, Hotaru was the only one who truly understood most of her mannerisms and actions and the reasoning behind them. And for that, Hotaru deserves some answer. For even though they stand on opposite sides right now, if it weren't for duty, Hotaru would probably be standing next to her. … Even if she didn't explain herself to the younger Senshi.

"I'm changing history," Rei finally admits, eyes locked with Hotaru's. "I'm erasing everything, and I'm going to change it to my will."

Setsuna inhales sharply. Not quite a gasp, but as near to one as she'd ever get.

Hotaru watches Rei, unblinking.

"It is not for duty, is it?" pursues Hotaru. "This is… personal?"

"It's not duty. Duty would have me chained to a future that leaves me unhappy and clouds the skies with misfortune. I… suppose in that sense, it's personal. But… it's less for me…"

"Then someone else," finishes Hotaru, understanding suddenly filling her eyes. She sighs. "You've chosen the hard path again. It will mostly likely be even harder then the chained future you speak of."

"Maybe." Rei smiles slightly. "But I'm foolish enough to believe it doesn't matter."

Hotaru stares a moment longer before relaxing and allowing the butt of her glaive to come to rest on the stone floor. Both Rei and Setsuna gawk at her.

"What are you doing?!" demands Setsuna, eyes flicking briefly to Rei's immobile figure.

"This isn't duty," Hotaru answers calmly as she begins walking across the room to stand before the Senshi of Fire. "I've been waiting."

The other two Senshi blink in stunned shock. Raising her hand, Hotaru offers her gloved hand to Rei.

"You… B-but you'll…" Rei stutters, something almost unheard of.

"You will need my help."

"Hotaru!" blurts Setsuna, trying to hopefully get the younger Senshi to snap out of it.

Rei hesitates, then grabs Hotaru's hand and gives it a single pump.

"Thank you," she says thickly. "I'll be glad to have you along."

Grinning impishly, Hotaru beams up at Rei. "Good, because I wouldn't have let you go alone."

Baffled now beyond anything she's ever experienced in her seemingly ageless existence, Setsuna frantically looks back and forth between the two of them. "Both of you are to be stripped of your powers! This is nonsense!"

Unfortunately, this only causes the two of them to round on her with twin expressions of determination.

"You should understand, Sets-mama," Hotaru states calmly. "You've done something similar once before."

Before Setsuna can even delve into that thought provoking remark, both of the younger Senshi fire their strongest attacks at her. She immediately raises her shield. As the attacks die out, she whirls around in a defense position, staff poised in readiness…. Only to find out that her attackers had distracted her and now stood in front of the Time Gate. Setsuna freezes in absolute horror.

"No! Don't!" she cries shrilly. Another first. She's petrified with fear.

Rei spares her a single apologetic glance before raising her hand next to Hotaru's.

"I'm afraid, Setsuna, I've already left myself no choice."

And with that, they fire their two strongest attacks onto the Time Gate. Setsuna whimpers as she watches a spider web of cracks spread throughout the entire Gate, and then a loud BOOM thunders in the room as the Gates finally split and begin to crumble into dust.

A long, high pitched wail fills the air, as the world begins to spin, twist, and blend in a myriad of colors. Sestuna's last conscious thought was that her voice sounded completely foreign, in such a gut wrenching scream of despair.


	3. Back to the Beginning

A soft tinkling sound of water fills the air. Rei inhales sharply, eyes springing open. She looks around quickly, dazed and confused. Around her, a lush garden spreads out in thick leafy folds. They sky is red, a deep shade of red, and the noon sun looks red as well. She's standing in front of a fountain, hidden in the shadows of some tall leafy trees.

She's garbed in a shiny black armor chest piece lined in a dark red. Her forearms and calves are covered in the black armor as well, and her boots have armor plating over the top. Her cape is a dusty rust color, and a sword is sitting comfortably on her hip, hilt glowing a golden color in the reddish light. Black armor shoulder pads glint slightly in the sun. The cloth poking out from under her armor is dusty colored, and it seems her shirt is long enough it also serves as a skirt. On her head, she can feel the weight of a thin piece of metal wrapping around her forehead and latching at the back of her head.

"What has happened?" she asks aloud, examining her gloved hands. A giggle to her right sends her spinning around and resting her hand on the hilt of her sword. "Hotaru!" She relaxes immediately at the sight of her friend.

Hotaru smiles. "You look imposing."

Hotaru is wearing armor as well. It's color is so black it looks purple. It covers less, and there are no shoulder pads or cape, and her shoes are unarmored. The cloth tucked underneath is a faint lilac color, rimmed with swirling designs in black. Two thin silver strips of metal run parallel along the top of her head, the front resting on her brow and holding a purple gem. In back, the metal is a knot work of metal and leather. In her hand, the glaive rests comfortably, like an old friend.

"I didn't mean to go back this far," Rei says crossly. Her creased brow reveals her worry.

"Destiny's hold is deep. You have to go far back to undo the prince's hold on her."

"But it's not the same!" fires back Rei. "She's not the same! We all know that! She was a completely different person back then!"

"Entirely different," agrees Hotaru. "However, you will get no where in the future if you don't fix the now. To protect her then, you must fix the past. That means, you will have to save the Moon Kingdom before it falls."

Rei growls in frustration and kicks a rock so hard it goes sailing into the sky and disappears from sight. "We couldn't do that the first time! How will now be any different?!"

Hotaru shrugs. "I told you it would be harder."

"And you foresaw all of this?" Rei mutters.

"No. I simply guessed. It stands to reason, after all." Hotaru wanders over to the fountain and runs her fingers along the water's surface.

"This is not my world," Rei says lowly. "I don't belong here. I wouldn't know how to correct everything."

Hotaru's smile is faint, and sad. "I told you it would be difficult. Are you going to give up so quickly? After all you've already done? There is no going back now. We've already destroyed our present."

Rei sighs and sits down heavily on a nearby stone bench. "No… I'm not giving up. I'm a little overwhelmed at the sudden changes already occurring, but I'm not going back. I wouldn't even try to. My only concern…" Rei's face creases in pain. "My worry is…"

"If she's so different that you can't fall in love with her in this time," finishes Hotaru.

Rei's shoulders slump, and she leans forward to rest her face in her hands. "All I remember of our Princess from this time are those scattered memories. Those memories tell me next to nothing about who she really was. I don't even think I spent enough time with her to _get _to know her."

"We weren't allowed," comments Hotaru. "None of us were allowed to get too close. We were all friends, but it was mostly because we shared similar circumstance. She adored us, but we were not so much that she'd give all or nothing like she had in our present. We have lived different lives. We were… different people. Similar, yes, but the same? Never."

Rei chuckles humorlessly. "Not helping with the pep talk, Hotaru."

Hotaru blushes sheepishly. "Sorry, I got carried away. In any case, we're already breaking the rules of past. We're already friends, and the Outers were never supposed to mingle with the Inners. If we keep trying, we will certainly break a few more."

"Eager to see your Papa and Mama?" Rei says, lifting her head with a grin. Hotaru blushes again.

"Well… I don't think there will be a way to explain that without them freaking out. I might test out Sets though. She may know a lot…"

"But not everything," finishes Rei. "Let's see if she knows about our hand in breaking the gates in the future."

Hotaru looks up at the sky thoughtfully. "I wonder… If breaking the time gates in the future has consequence with the ones of past and present, have all the gates fallen? Setsuna might not have a gate to guard at all."

"It would surely help her people skills," Rei says moodily, getting to her feet.

Hotaru giggles. "Like you're miss sparkling personality yourself."

Rei huffs and stretches. "Hush." After stretching, she gazes around her surroundings again. "I think it's safe to say we're on Mars. Err… I'm a little foggy on present day issues. Any idea what's been happening and how we'll know who, what, when, where, why, etc?"

Closing her eyes and concentrating, Hotaru opens up her mind to review all of her memories of the new present. "Well, you'll be glad to know that the Prince has yet to make an appearance at the castle. Of course, if I recall properly, we won't get summoned until a week before the Prince for the ball."

Rei winces. "That's no good. I can't win her that quickly, not with Princey boy coming so soon after."

"Then we need a good excuse to barge in early. You realize that it's almost a year in waiting? We have time."

Rei frowns, thinking. "Yes, but we're going to need that time for getting everyone together. We need to get everyone on the same page, get them to trust and care for each other like we did in our time. It's the only reason we were strong enough to survive as long as we did. We weren't just fighting out of duty, we were fighting for each other and those we loved."

"That's true, but how do you purpose we do it? We cannot randomly invite ourselves to the Moon Kingdom for an audience, and we can't get the others to show via simple request."

"Then we make them. We give them a reason."

"Such as?" asks Hotaru.

"War," Rei says bluntly, eyes flashing. "We bring prophecy of a battle far greater then any they've ever imagined."

"Well, we wouldn't be lying," muses Hotaru. "But, Setsuna would parry any such thing if she didn't see it in the gates."

"That's where it gets tricky. You need to find out if she still has her powers. If she doesn't, we're set."

"And if she does?" prods Hotaru.

"We counter it with the limit of her powers, pointing out she can't see EVERYTHING that happens or will happen. It might put me on her crap list, but if it comes to it, I'll push till there's no where to run."

Hotaru watches her a breath before nodding. "Alright, we have the beginnings of a plan. I'll get it in motion by talking with Sets-mama. Hopefully I'll return with good news." In a flash, she disappears.

Rei blinks at the spot she'd been. "How'd she do that?! We weren't able to do that alone in our time!" Rei frowns in confusion. "How did we get defeated if we were this powerful? They shouldn't have been able to touch us. Unless…" Rei sighs. "This is going to take some work."

Pivoting, she strides quickly back to her family's castle.

Rei falters a step. "Family castle?" she mutters. "Oh! Right, princesses." Rei shakes her head roughly. "Jeeze, this is so weird." On the horizon, peeking above the tree line, several tall pointy towers gleam at her in the distance. Rei quirks an eyebrow. "Oddly, this place reminds me of some weird demon palace you see in fantasy movies. Thos spires look sharp and… almost threatening."

Rei sighs in exasperation. "This is going to be crazy. I just know it. No wonder no one visits from other kingdoms. We look like we're purposefully emphasizing power and provoking war." Rei blushes a little. "… Looks kind'a cool."

Shaking her head at her foolishness, she continues on her way home. Most of the path is deserted, and anyone she does come across bows and quickly retreats. She finds it odd, but doesn't really think a lot of it. Instead, she climbs the great… seeming _endless!_ steps up to the castle's main doors. Once at the top of the stairs, she looks down with a twitching eyebrow.

"This is even more insane then the temple steps!" She huffs and spins around to stride confidently up to the doors. Before one of the doormen can open it, she flings the doors wide and storms into the room and stops just inside.

"Daughter!" comes a squeal. Rei starts as a figure comes flying out of no where to smother her in an embrace. "How are you?! Where did you go?! Did you have fun?! You're face is all pouty!" yammers an overly cheerful voice.

Kicking her brain back into gear, Rei pushes away to come face to face with her father. "What are you doing?!" she roars automatically.

"Why, giving you the biggest bestest hug ever!" cheers her father, practically dancing in place. His short hair is spiked, and his dark trimmed beard lines his jaw. He apparently forgot his crown again, and he's only wearing leather armor, not the full battle dress he's supposed to. He proceeds to glomp her again, swinging her back and forth excitedly.

"Dang it! I just saw you this morning!" growls Rei, mentally realizing her memories of this time were slipping into place. "Let go!"

"Awww, don't talk to your poor ol' father like that! He just loves you oh-so-very-much!"

"Mother!" Rei cries helplessly. A woman in a long clingy, yet flowing, dress steps into sight. She smiles calmly, long mane of black hair shimmering in the light.

"He just missed you, dear."

"I saw him this morning!" repeats Rei in a huff.

"Oh! That reminds me!" says her father as he sets her down. He grabs her hands and leans in close. "Have you picked your groom yet?! Anasta has been asking about you and Rodrick has been showering us with gifts! Have you found that man or woman yet that you'll propose to?! The whole kingdom is excitedly awaiting your decision! I heard you kissed one of the princesses from Austa! Oh! And you've been seen with the Princess of Saturn!" He wiggles his eyebrows with a huge goofy grin.

Something in Rei snapped. She's not quite sure what, but she felt an overwhelming flood of embarrassment.

"SHUT UP!"

A wave of fire lashed out.

"EEP!" squealed her father as he leapt away.

The fire blazed up and out, burning everything in a three meter radius. When it dies down, Rei is snarling angrily. There is, however, a small blush to her cheeks.

"What the hell kind of question is that?!" she booms, voice echoing around the room.

"You mean you found one?!" her father blurts excitedly, jumping close again.

Blinking in shock, Rei leans away and blushes harder. "S-shut up!" she bellows, whirling around and leaving.

"Tsk, tsk, we have to replace the tapestries again," says her mother, shaking her head at the crumbling and scorched lengths of cloth.


	4. Exura and Amora

**A/N:** Uh, things are going to get a little confusing if you aren't paying attention in this chapter. Just a pre-warning.

* * *

Rei sighs, having found a quiet corner in the shadow of a balcony to hide away. She hadn't meant to get so upset, but it's trademark for her to do so. It seems that even in this life she is easy to anger and explode. The most unexpected part was setting fire to the drapes. She'd never had that kind of power in her reincarnated life. She never thought she would _ever_ have that kind of power over fire.

Things just don't randomly start on fire. Never had, as far as she can recall. To be able to do so, without even thinking about it… she is awed, if not a mite worried. If what she'd just seen, between herself and Hotaru, their old Senshi powers should have been far beyond anything the badies could wave around. They should have been able to win the (now) upcoming battle with ease. And yet they hadn't.

It seriously bothers her that she can't explain why they'd failed. She'd given Hotaru that small "we only succeeded because we cared enough to protect each other" speech, but she'd mostly been throwing out BS. Now, however, she's starting to wonder about the truth of that statement. Could they really have lost everything because they were all merely acting out of duty, and not love? Is that the whole key? Is that really the difference between winning and losing?

It almost doesn't make sense though. After all, the Prince and Princess had loved each other, right? So, shouldn't that love have given them more then the power to be reincarnated? Or was their love not strong enough? Was it only a passing thing, a momentary feeling that was fleeting, and couldn't withstand the test of eternity?

Honestly, she isn't sure. However, it does cause her even more doubt about the Prince and Princess being together. He'd already proven, that even reincarnated, he would willingly step aside, without question. Why? Because he had to find "his princess", first off. No other was good enough, in his eyes. Secondly, he'd left her because of a dream. Granted, she would freak out too if she dreamed of her Princess dying; more so, because she actually has the power of prophecy. But she wouldn't just leave. She couldn't. Leaving would be the same as killing her Princess with her own two hands. She wouldn't be trying at all, and that was worse then being selfish and trying to remain by her love's side for as long as possible.

Yes, he'd brought her back to life. But that really wasn't his doing; it was Fiore. Yes, he'd helped her out countless times when she'd been ready to lose a fight. But honestly, he hardly ever actually "fought". He threw a rose, gave a speech, played bodyguard, and left. Rei and the other Senshi did more then that! How many times had they thrown themselves in the line of fire for her? How many times had they willingly died for her? And, they backed her up even when they worried she might not be strong enough to handle the threat ahead.

"Destiny be damned!" snorts Rei, a flicker of small fire igniting around her clenched hands. Realizing her folly, she quickly snuffs the small flames and breathes slowly to calm herself.

She gazes at the orange sky forlornly.

"This is so frustrating," she murmurs. "I need… I need someone to speak to. But who?"

Hotaru is busy. Though she would be the obvious and most understanding, now is not the time to deter the Princess of Saturn from confronting the Time Senshi. That left a window of her parents. She cringes at the very idea of trying to have a serious talk with her father. And her mother… well, she could never get her mother alone long enough to have a serious talk without her father butting in spontaneously.

Other options… she doesn't know anyone here besides her family to talk to. Her two brothers, which she'd finally recalled a moment ago, are both out doing who-knows-what at the border. They had gone under the pretext of taking care of some bandits, but they were both probably out there trying to boast about their strength and challenging each other with stupid tests to prove it. Admittedly, she'd gotten caught up in their silly challenges on several occasions. And… admittedly, she loves to boast that she beat them each and every time.

She blushes and scratches her cheek. Maybe she is a little too prideful at times. But, it is fun to join in her brothers' silly antics when they get her involved.

Back to topic though, the very last option, besides hunting down a poor defenseless stranger, is to talk with one of the Senshi.

Major problem here. First off, who on earth could she go to with such a problem?

Ami is studious, but never has she been one for giving advice on relationships. Makoto gets too dreamy over everyone, and gets stuck on previous relationships like they never end. Usagi is the problem, so no go there. Minako… oh heavens. The girl can't take anything serious. Being the proclaimed "Goddess of Love" makes her nearly impossible to deal with when approached by any such related matters. She gets that weird cocky smirk and the half lidded gaze, and you're ready to go running for the hills in terror because you know you're not going to like whatever it is she's thinking.

The Outer Senshi… Well, Setsuna is obviously a definite no go. Michiru and Haruka… The tomboy is too much of a tease. Rei probably would leave without ever having broached the topic. Michiru… a possibility. The young woman is more astute and wise enough she gives good advice for just about everything.

… And all of these presumptions rest heavily on the fact that the Senshi she recalls are like they were after being reincarnated. Sadly, that being the case, there is no certainty that any of them will have the personalities she remembers. She has yet to meet them in the new present.

How confounding! The only two that really make sense are Michiru and Minako!

Rei's eyes widen in horror. "Why didn't I think of that before?!" She blindly punches the wall, not even noticing the spider web cracks that spread from the contact on the gleaming black surface. "Michiru will not be Michiru. Minako won't be Minako. I am not even 'Rei', anymore. I am…Exura." Rei scowls. "I forgot, I wasn't named Rei in the past. Usagi is… Serenity. We… all have different names."

Bowing her head in frustrated helplessness, she fights to control her urge to lash out at something.

Unbeknownst to her, her emotions are so strong, her magic automatically reacts. When she finally raises her head, she's standing inside a massive hall. Everything is glittering in seeming polished gold. Around her, people dressed in roman style robes are staring at her agape. Looking around quickly, her eyes rest upon a heap of plush silk pillows at the head of the hall. Perched elegantly upon them are a handful of people, each with golden blond hair.

Rei blushes as she realizes that many of the people are scantily clad, and even more seem to be eyeing her eagerly.

"Stupid magic," she grouses softly. Unfortunately, in the dead silent hall, it's loud enough that everyone can hear.

A hearty bell of laughter fills the silence after the comment, and Rei dares to look up from the floor to spot "Minako" laughing heartily.

"Well, well," the long haired blond says with a grin. "It seems we have a guest of honor visiting us." Minako's eyes dart to her family with a smirk. Her, presumed, mother, nods at Minako to continue. Minako looks back at Rei with interest. "What do we owe the pleasure of Mar's Princess knocking on our door?"

Floored, cornered, and completely unprepared, Rei is highly surprised she isn't stuttering when she answers. "I was hoping to have an audience with the Princess of Venus. I would have sent word before popping in unexpectedly, but it seems my… fiery emotions have a tendency to do mischief with my magic." She bows lowly, feeling immensely embarrassed and unable to squash the feeling.

She does take a moment to note that Minako looks a lot like her father. Their blue eyes sparkle just the same, and their smiles are wide and welcoming. His hair is even long and straight, just like hers; only, his is tied back in a low ponytail. Her mother and brother look alike. Their faces are both round and they both have a head full of curly golden locks. Their smiles are more impish, almost childishly innocent but daring at the same time. Looking at Minako's brother, Rei instantly thinks of Cupid.

"A desire to see me?" comments Minako, drawing Rei's attention again. The blond smiles wider, and Rei shifts uncomfortably at the seeming implied 'things' she can see in those blue eyes. "An honor indeed. Come, we can speak more privately in my chambers."

There are a few cat calls and whistles thrown into the air receiving this statement. Rei ducks her head in horror, mumbling an incoherent consent as she shuffles along uncomfortably after the blond as she bounces to her feet and down a corridor behind the 'throne' of pillows.

Internally, Rei is cursing her magic again, irritably wishing the stupid stuff came with a manual and an emergency escape button.

The clicking of a shutting door alerts her to the fact they've stopped. She looks up quickly to find Minako standing at the door, eyeing her up and down appreciatively. Rei swallows hard, nerves making her insides quake. It only worsens as Minako slyly crosses the room gracefully towards her, hips swaying and body language screaming sexuality.

Rei looses her cool and squeaks in (never even contemplated) girlish fright. She jumps back and stumbles on an invisible crack.

Minako pauses her advance and smirks at the raven haired girl, her predatory aura dissipating.

"Calm yourself. I was only teasing." The blond Princess waves a hand airily with a welcoming smile. "I just couldn't resist. From what I've heard of rumors, you're nearly impossible to crack. Well, besides losing your temper and starting things on fire."

Rei blushes and tries to discreetly recover her wits by coughing into her hand. "Well, consider myself cracked." At the blond's predatory smirk, Rei hastily waves her hands in the air. "No! I mean-! That's not what I meant!"

Minako laughs again, and Rei is mentally berating herself.

"Well then, Princess of Mars, why have you come here? If not for the pleasure of company?"

Still unhinged about the very atmosphere and "hints" behind everything, Rei flusters about a moment.

"I uh… Well, there is, uh… I mean…"

Minako takes pity on her and gestures to the pillows piled along the floor. "Relax. Take a seat. Let's start over. Welcome to Venus. I am Princess Amora, future ruler of this planet."

Sinking into the pillows hesitantly, Rei watches the blond warily. As Rei predicted, she is completely different then Minako. As of yet, though, Rei hasn't decided if that's a good thing… or a horribly terrible one (yes, she deemed it worth two negatives!).

"I'm R-… *ahem* I'm Princess Exura, future ruler of Mars."

Amora lifts her eyebrow at the slip. "What were you about to say? Prior to your obvious title."

Fidgeting uncomfortably, Rei sighs and decides, 'why the hell not?'. "I was going to say that I was Rei."

That causes Amora's second eyebrow to join the first. "Come again?"

Rei looks away from the, obviously well endowed, blond to center her attention on the sole window in the room. It looks out to a dusty filled sky, caused by yet another sand storm. Luckily, all the windows are pained and tightly sealed, keeping most of the sand and dust at bay.

"I am in need of counseling," Rei began. "For I have a story of such… a fantastic nature, that it seems I can hardly believe it myself."

"What kind of story?" questions the blond, looking intrigued. "I happen to like stories."

"It is like nothing you've ever encountered," replies Rei, slowly getting her nerves under control and finally able to look at the blond once more. "For starters, I do not know you by your current name. I knew you as Minako. I, myself, was called Rei. I was a Shinto priestess for a temple in a city called Tokyo, on earth." Rei pauses a breath, Amora's eyes already having begun to widen. "From the future." Rei finishes.

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**A/N:** And there you have it. The insanity begins. Questions? Lol


	5. Senshi of Love at it Again

Amora hadn't moved or blinked since… well, basically since the beginning of her tale. Rei sighs, fully expecting the blond demand she leave and not to waste her time with such silly things.

Fidgeting uncomfortably in the silence, Rei decides she better speak up soon or get up and run like mad. Just as she begins leaning towards running like mad, Amora blinks and shakes herself.

"I must admit," she says slowly, "that is indeed a fantastic tale. You're telling me that you destroyed the Time Gates in the future… in order to save your Princess from misery and heartache?" At Rei's nod, she continues. "And, you were trying to prevent her from falling into false love with a Prince that, apparently, wasn't very princely?"

Rei nods again with a small blush. "I… I couldn't help it. The more I think upon it, the more I think it's wrong. Telling you of all the incidents would take… more then one sitting to prove it. And even if I'm biased, telling you of said incidents would surely make you wonder as well."

"I'm uncertain, then, what your dilemma is. You obviously succeeded in destroying the Gates. You're here, after all."

"Uh," interrupts Rei. "That… was actually a mishap." She sheepishly scratches her ear. "You see, I was only on planning on going back to when she was first called as a Senshi…"

"A Senshi? A _Princess_ was called to be a Senshi?"

"Oh, we all were," Rei blurts absently.

"What?! Who is 'we'?!" The golden haired woman looks slightly alarmed.

"Oh…" Rei, realizing her folly too late, grimaces on the inside as she admits to even more of her tale. "Well… You see… All the princesses of the planets in this Sol system… are going to be Senshi. Well, just one on each planet, but definitely one from each planet will inherit the Senshi powers in order to protect our worlds from outside forces. We will be serving directly under the Queen of Earth's Moon and be direct bodyguards to her and her daughter… Mostly her daughter though."

"_All_ of us?!" gapes the blond, graceful pose lost as she sinks in the plush pillows in stunned shock.

Rei starts to worry that the blond will panic and do something foolish.

However…

"Really?! Wow! I always dreamed of becoming a Senshi! I mean, I was even willing to become a lowly soldier in the general militia! But a SENSHI?! Not in my wildest dreams had I believed I'd-!" And then the bubbly princess remembers she's with company and clears her throat. "Excuse me, you were saying?"

Rei stares at her. "You're strange."

Amora smirks, posture once again elegant and oozing sexuality. "You're one to talk. A girl from the future meshed into the past, that is now the present…"

"I'm not secretly hiding some blind desire to become a Senshi," Rei states calmly.

"No, because in your heart, you already know you are," argues the blond.

Rei watches the blond carefully, taking note of the confidence that struck down so deep that Amora was the perfect personification of it. "You're nothing like the girl I remember."

"Remember? I was reincarnated too?"

"You were a Senshi. All of the Senshi were reincarnated. As I said before, I knew you as Minako. You're still both similar, and she did have confidence, but it was not as steady and sure as yours. That, and she seemed the perfect stereotype for blonds."

"Stereotype?" Amora cocks her head slightly to the side, oddly, looking very inviting.

Rei quickly looks away to explain. "Ah, yes, a stereotype is a… preconceived image for different things. Such as, in the future where I am from, it was common to hear people say that 'blonds are ditzy and airheads'. Or, 'because someone knows how to defend themselves, they must like to start fights'."

Amora nods slowly, eyes narrowed in thought. "So… the me of the future was ditzy and… air headed?"

Rei blushes and ducks her head. "Uh well… she… s-seemed to be… that way…"

Amora laughs heartily, causing Rei's head to come snapping up.

"How amusing! It must have been thought charming by the gentlemen around her, so she overtaxed it's use to the point she must have started believing it!"

Not quite sure what to say to that, Rei decided saying nothing was the better option. Change in topic time!

"Anyway," the raven haired girl continues swiftly. "When I destroyed the Time Gates, I was planning on going back to the point that she became a Senshi. When it sent me all the way back to… _this_ past, I wasn't prepared to deal with it."

Amora smiles comfortingly. "My dear, even if the love is false, you can't simply wish it away. You have to go back to where it originated. It makes perfect sense that you'd end up here."

Silenced by the logic, Rei lets the thought tumble around in her head. It did make perfect sense. She bowed her head, hiding her face from the blond's searching gaze. "But you see… I worry that… she will be different…"

A gentle hand on her cheek makes her start, eyes darting up to meet Amora's calm blue gaze.

Smiling softly, Amora gently runs her thumb across Rei's cheek. "Silly, silly, Fire Princess… You have fallen truly and deeply in love, haven't you?" Her smile widens when Rei blushes darkly. "You should not be so afraid… There is nothing to be afraid of. Love as pure and true as yours cannot be broken so easily as a shift in time. In truth, it runs even deeper now. She may have changed a little, but not so much that your heart wont recognize her and fall in love with her all over again."

Rei's eyes dart down in shyness. "A-are you s-sure?"

Leaning forward, Amora places a soft kiss on Rei's forehead. "If there was ever one thing I was certain of, it is love. I will not claim I know every bodies soul mate. Nor will I claim that it will be without hardships. But I am certain that when I see love… I can tell how deeply it runs and tightly it binds. Yours is as fast and deep as the swiftest river and as thick as the most tightly bound rope. It anchors you to her, like a lifeline in the vast sea of life… I'm quite certain you shall not lose her."

Relief causes unexpected tears to trickle from the raven hair girl's eyes. "Thank you…" she whispers softly.

Amora smiles gently, knowing how much Rei had needed to hear that.

After allowing Rei the proper amount of time to compose herself, Amora claps her hands excitedly. "Alright! Now that we have that dilemma out of the way, we can start figuring out what our plans are!"

Rei jerks. "Wha'? _Our_ plans?"

"Of course!" Amora winks playfully. "I'm a Senshi too! Or rather, I shall be… Anyway, we must devise a course of action to break this false love and let you win your Princess!" She strikes a triumphant pose.

Rei gapes at her, clearly seeing good ol' Minako shining through.

Amora suddenly drops the pose and looks at her in rather adorable confusion. "By the way, who _is_ your Princess?"

Rei's face becomes scarlet again as she mumbles an answer.

Unable to hear, Amora leans in close. "What was that? You're being too quiet!"

"Princess… S-S-Serenity… of…"

"OH MY HEART!" Amora exclaims in pure shock. "You're in love with _the_ Moon Princess?! _AND_ she's a Senshi?!"

"W-well, she isn't now. I-I mean, she was never _supposed_ to be a Senshi, but when she got reincarnated her advisor mistook her as a Senshi because she could sense her magic…"

Her words die out when she realizes that Amora is watching her with a sad expression.

"You've sacrificed a lot for her, haven't you?" the blond murmurs.

"And I would do so again willingly," Rei says forcefully. "She… she's done so much for me…" Rei's expression becomes pained, thoughts traveling down to all the times Usagi had been forced to stand the tallest and strike the last blow in order to save them all. "It is not right… to see a person so pure… carry such a heavy heart and be burdened with the hopes and dreams of so many…"

"You want to give her a bright and free future… in not only love, but in life as well?"

Rei nods slowly, eyes misted over with memories. "The pain… in her eyes… After… after Galaxia… it was too much. I couldn't stand to see her so hurt. I… had to fix it. I had to make it right."

Amora sighs softly, almost wistfully. "I have heard of stories where one will go to the ends of the earth and further for their love… but I have not actually heard actual news of such a tale or seen its affect. You, however, are doing just that… and beyond. Not only have you crossed planets, but you've crossed time and destiny itself. It is… it is truly touching…"

A long silence reigns over them. The only sound heard is the sand brushing up against the window from the wind.

"I will assist you in any way I can," Amora finally says, breaking the silence. "A love like yours cannot be denied."

Rei blushes. "I am certain any of the Senshi would do as much as I did…"

"But they didn't," answers Amora. "Even if they did love her."

Rei's head snaps up, eyes wide. "L-love her?"

Amora shrugs. "It makes sense. I have heard already that those who meet her cannot help but love her. If she is as pure and sweet as everyone says, I can imagine that each of her Senshi loved her in their own varying degrees. In any case, the difference is that you loved her enough to challenge everything." She gazed at Rei levelly before dropping her seriousness and tapping her chin thoughtfully. "One does wonder though… what kind of harem that would be, the Princess and her Senshi…"

Rei squawks loudly as she somehow manages to fall off her pillow and land roughly on the floor.


	6. Nostalgia

Rei sighs heavily while flopping down onto her bed ungracefully. After her discussion with Amora, she felt drained. She'd somehow managed to get her magic to send her home again, but it had taken her a good five minutes of grumbling and muttered curses for it to finally work. Amora had snickered the entire time, making Rei flush in embarrassment.

Rei rolls to her side to gaze forlornly at the nightstand next to her bed. It's empty. There aren't any pictures, and there aren't any mementos from her… past/future. It feels a little lonely, staring at the picture frame free surface. Back… in the future, there had been a good handful.

Rei huffs and quickly turns away from the sight.

The door creaks, making Rei tense.

"Exura?" calls a soft voice.

Rei smiles slightly, sinking further into the plush down comforter. "Yes, mother?"

A wash of warmth envelopes her. Gentle footfalls patter across the stone floor to the edge of her bed.

"Are you well, Exura? You've been missing for hours. You even missed the evening meal."

Tears just prick the teens eyes. She sniffs subtly to try and hide her growing need to cry.

It feels positively wonderful to have a mother. She can even feel the warmth of her mother's love when she's just standing across the room. It is so refreshing, so relaxing, so… touching. She'd forgotten what it felt like. All those years… with just her grandfather… It feels so amazing… ah, the tears finally make everything blurry.

But now is not the time for that. Shaking her head quickly, she clears her throat and faintly brushes her fingers across her eyes.

"I'm fine mother. I was just visiting someone. I hadn't realized the time, so they invited me to dine with them."

A weight settles onto the corner of the bed, pulling the blankets tight between them.

"I sense that isn't all there is. What is _really_ troubling you?" Gentle fingers stroke the dark hair settled on her back.

Trying hard to concentrate under the soothing touch, the black haired priestess tries to gather her thoughts. She'd talked with Amora, yes. She has Hotaru, to speak with about their plans… But she still has the unsettling weight of everything still upon her shoulders. She has yet to figure out how to break the news to everyone. Who should she begin with telling first, anyway? And how would she tell them? Wouldn't it be wise to inform her family first? And…

Actually… that idea isn't half bad.

Now, to sort through her memories and see if… Ah! Yes! There it is. Perfect!

"Mother… you know I have visions, yes?" she begins slowly. Though she'd been able to recall that she has them now as much as in her future/past, she wants to make sure that it isn't a taboo subject and that it is common knowledge.

"Of course dear. Is that what this is about? Did you have a vision?"

"Yes… I… I saw war, mother."

"War?" Though surprise coats the older woman's voice, she doesn't start or seem overly affected by it. "A war with whom?"

"… The Dark Moon kingdom."

The queen tilts her head to the side. "I have not heard of them."

"You wouldn't have," responds Rei. "They haven't announced themselves yet. There is time to prepare… but only if we act quickly."

"Is it that serious?" questions her mother. Her stroking pauses momentarily.

"Yes. It is most dire. It will mean the end of everything, if we don't act now."

"Everything?" pushes the queen, not fully understanding.

"Everything. From the outer reaches of our solar system to the very center. Every civilization will be destroyed… except for Earth. Earth shall be spared alone, because the Moon of Earth would cause a stalemate and force both sides to be in slumber until… Until it begins again, and the fight starts anew, far, far into the future."

"Surely there is no such group that has the power to overtake all of our solar system," starts the queen.

Shaking her head, Rei sits up to face her mother. "You don't understand. It was all quite vivid. There was no denying what I saw. Our home world, all the others, even Pluto… they'll all be wiped out. They're cities, their lives, all will turn to dust. No one will survive but…" Rei pauses, desperately trying to figure out how to say who will live… without already setting fate into motion with the prince and princess. "No one will survive except ten. Those ten will each be an heir to the royal family of their respective planets, and one moon. Only they survive because Queen Serenity sends them to be reborn, so they may rise again and finally destroy the evil that threatens to wipe out everything, even Earth."

Her mother's visage contorts into a worried frown. Her dark violet eyes are solemn. There is no doubt in those eyes. There is nothing but trust… and slight fear. "This is very grave. How long have you known?"

"This afternoon, just before I spoke with you and father. I… I went to Venus, by mistake, to seek advice."

The queen lifts an intrigued eyebrow. "You went to Venus? About _war_?"

Blushing darkly, the priestess looks away. "It… there was more. I… Th-there was…"

Smiling gently, her mother reaches out and cups Rei's face in her hands. "Exura, my dear, have you fallen in love?" Rei's aflame face is all the answer the older woman needs. She chuckles softly. "Who has stolen your heart, my dear?" she asks, for a moment, allowing the topic of war to be placed second.

After pouting at her feet for a considerable time, Rei finally dares to whisper an answer. "The Princess… of Earth's Moon…"

Blinking a moment, her mother cocks her head to the side in an elegant fashion. "The Moon Child? But when have you ever-? I had thought you had never met the Princess of the Moon."

"I-I…" Rei stutters uncontrollably, brain reeling for a plausible answer. "I have n-not! I… It was only from a distance, but-!" Blushing profusely, she looks away from her mother's eyes. "I… have had visions. I have seen her… In the future, after everyone perishes and the ten are reborn… I have seen her. I…" Rei winces, curling into herself as memories flash behind her eyes. They flashes are so vivid, even her mother gets glimpses of them. "She is… so pure, mother. So kind, and sweet. I have never met anyone with more heart, more courage…" Her hands clench.

Reaching out, her mother scoops up her hands and massages them until they uncurl. "I must admit… That was not one I expect you to say. But," she continues before Rei can speak. "I can see how you would fall for one such as her. I have met her only once, when she was but a child, but she was indeed sweet and pure. It does not surprise me that she would catch your attention." A quick teasing smirk graces her mother's full lips. "After all, she is quite opposite in temperament then you."

"Mother!" whines Rei, pulling out of her mother's grasp and falling back upon the bed.

After smiling at her child a moment, the queen sobers. "But there is still this war you spoke of. How long do we have before they're expected?"

Staring up at the canopy of her bed, the teen traces the odd golden swirling designs with her eyes. "We have nearly a year to prepare… But, there is much that needs to be done. We must contact each planet and declare an emergency meeting. The Senshi must come into being sooner then they were expected."  
Her mother's gasp is nearly inaudible. "You know the Senshi?"

Rei nods slowly. "I have seen them, in my vision. I know their faces. But we must call on them early. If we don't summon them now, if we do not start training together now, it will be too late."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because if we wait for Princess Serenity's birthday ball… we will be too late."

Once more startled by her daughter's insight, the queen silently contemplates all she's heard. Suddenly, a thought occurs to her. "If '_we_ don't start training together'?" she questions.

Rei blinks. She blushes when she realizes her slip of tongue. "Yes. We. I am… shall be, a Senshi."

The queen's eyes mist over, and she turns her head away to hide her face in shadows.

Sitting up quickly, Rei leans close and lays a hand on her mother's arm. "Mother?"

The queen faces her daughter again, eyes sparkling with un-shed tears. None fall. Instead, she pulls Rei close and embraces her tightly.

"My daughter… a legendary Senshi… I am proud of you, my dear. You… will make us all very proud."

Eyes stinging again, Rei hugs her slim waist. "Mother…"

After a long silence, neither moving, the queen finally breaks the embrace to smile lovingly at her daughter. "Come, we must tell your father. We must start making arrangements immediately. I will have him alert everyone."

"The meeting should be at the Moon," Rei says quickly. "It is important everyone gathers there. It is where everything will take place. After all, the Senshi are to be called to protect the Moon Princess. We must request an audience of the queen to arrange an emergency meeting to explain everything." Rei hesitates. "Will they listen? If it is just a vision that we summon them on, will they listen? Or does… does Pluto hold more sway?"

Smiling comfortingly, the queen squeezes Rei's hand. "Pluto may hold strong sway, but a vision from our clan is a very important thing indeed. There have been many a time that our visions have saved lives when Pluto's Gate Keepers said nothing."

Feeling much relieved, Rei bounces to her feet and stretches. "Are we telling father tonight? Or-"

"Telling me what?" booms a cheerful voice as the doors slam open against the walls. Rei rolls her eyes as her father struts into her chambers with a wide smile.

"Telling you that you'll be needing to don your armor soon," retorts Rei.

The king's face falls dramatically. "My armor?" he whines. "But it's so darned heavy! And it pinches!"

The queen chuckles while Rei huffs irritably.

"Dear," calls her mother, gaining their attention. "Exura has had a vision. She has seen war."

The shift is immediate. Gone are the smiles, the amused eyes. Brows drawn together somberly, the king turns his gaze on his wife thoughtfully. "War? When?"

"Just shy a year, I believe," she answers promptly. "It seems we are to be calling on the Senshi sooner then expected."

The king crosses his arms and stares out the darkened window silently. His jaw is tight, his posture tense. "This is serious indeed. I will have to send word to Queen Serenity immediately." He glances at his daughter then freezes. Understanding clicks into place without a word being said. A tight but proud smile curls his lips. "Ah, you'll be leaving us then." He steps close and pulls her into a tight hug. "You'll be a courageous Senshi," he says lowly, hold tightening a little.

Lower lip trembling, Rei closes her eyes tightly to hold back her tears as she burrows her face into her father's shoulder. "I promise I'll make you proud," she whispers hoarsely.

He chuckles deeply, stroking her hair. "You already have…"


	7. To the Jungle!

"Maybe this is a bad idea," Rei says. She stands in front of a large thick forest. Clouds in the distance rumble, and she can faintly smell rain.

Amora giggles. "Are you scared of the forest?" She looks at the thick vegetation with a raised eyebrow. "I know there are stories of savage beasts, but I see no reason to worry." She smirks seductively. "After all, even without the Senshii powers, you are very strong. Word of your escapades have reached many an ear."

Rei shifts uncomfortably under the blond's weighty gaze. It takes all her efforts to subdue her blush as she clears her throat. "It's not that I'm terribly afraid. My issue is getting lost. It is not uncommon for the natives to leave you wandering if they feel mischievous or threatened."

Amora looks back to the forest. "How does anyone ever reach their city, were that the case? I have heard how often they play such silly games, after all."

Rei smirks. "Someone has made it, to tell so fervently about their abundant hospitality once you pass through the forest. However, we do not have time for these games." The black haired princess sobers quickly. She glances at Amora. "I am still wondering why you have accompanied me. If we enter, there is no telling what we will find."

Smiling softly, the blond looks wistfully at the sky. "I have been sitting in my palace dreaming longer then you can imagine… I have waited seemingly endlessly for something of this nature to begin… I wouldn't be able to contain myself if left to ponder the what-if's while you are out adventuring. I would rather jump right into the story and live it with you." She smirks again, once more oozing sexuality. "After all, I was _born_ to do this."

Rei looks at her a moment, taking in the honesty and courage in the blond's eyes. A slight smile teases her lips before she steps forward to the forest. "Very well, let us meet destiny."

"And beat some sense into her!" Amora blurts.

It startles Rei and makes her spin around quickly. "W-what?"

Amora huffs and crosses her arms, as if her reasoning should have been obvious. "She has been naught but cruel! You have already sacrificed yourself to her twice! There is no reason or _need_ to do so again! Were she left to her devices, she would have us all weeping in sorrow, chained to lonely futures of emptiness, simply because she can!"

Rei blinks a few times before a faint smile crosses her face. "Come then, let us set a fire to her skirts by throwing her plans out the window."

And promptly, Amora squeals and bounces forward and right into the forest.

Rei rolls her eyes. "Just like Minako…" Without further word, Rei plunges into the thick forest to locate the excitable blond.

-Sixteen Minutes Later-

"Amora," Rei says flatly.

Named blond shifts, eyes lowered sheepishly. "Yes?"

"What did I tell you?" asks the raven haired girl.

Amora bites her lip, looking sexy and adorable at the same time. "Um… Not to go skipping through the trees without looking where I was going?"

"Do you remember _why_?" demands the silently fuming priestess.

"Because there might be traps?" Amora makes sure to avoid all eye contact, which is actually quite easy… as they are both hanging upside down from the trees.

Rei points angrily at the rope around her ankle. "And what do you think that is?"

Amora stares at the leaves on the ground above her head. "A trap."

"Exactly!" retorts Rei. She'd been biting her tongue for the last five minutes. And yes, they had been hanging there that long. Why? Rei was trying very hard to restrain herself from lashing out at Amora, and that takes a great deal of concentration.

"Why did you get stuck in it too, if you are the one scolding me for my inattention?" asks Amora, trying to ease some of the ridiculousness of the situation from being entirely her fault.

Rei's scowl darkens. "_Someone_ was screaming so hysterically that I was spurred into unneeded hurried action. So while dodging flailing limbs of said _someone_, and trying to calm them and ease their screaming, I ended up stepping on the second trap."

Okay, with it phrased _that_ way, there isn't really a way to avoid blame. Amora fidgets. A light blush stains her cheeks. "Um… I'm sorry?"

Rei grumbles something under her breath before deciding she is calm enough to free them without torching her current traveling companion. Quickly drawing her sword, she sends a firm swing towards her tethered foot. With seemingly practiced ease, the rope is cut and she flips gracefully onto her feet. She stares up at the gaping Amora with less than pleased eyes. "I'm willing to free you, but if you cause me more problems, I'm shipping you to the Moon on an express one way ticket."

With that, the black hair teen leaps up and cuts the rope holding Amora's ankle hostage.

Amora yelps, and would have landed on her face were it not for the Martian's quick actions that send her spiraling until she is suddenly firmly standing on the ground without ever seemingly have been upside-down. Blinking a few times to get her bearings back, Amora finally notices that Rei is already walking away from her. With a quick "meep", the golden haired beauty races to catch up.

Rei gives her a sidelong look as soon as the blond catches up. "Please watch your step."

Amora blushes and looks away guiltily. "It's not _my_ fault I've never gone tromping around in the wilds to learn its dangers!"

"You insisted on coming," points out Rei. Though she won't say so aloud, she finds the blond's newly discovered childish petulance amusing. It reminds her of Minako, and she feels comforted by that knowledge. When she'd first met the blond, her wisdom had thrown her for a loop. After all, Minako couldn't manage a proper saying without messing it up completely. To see some of Minako's childish behaviors in this past version... it is reassuring in the fact that maybe they hadn't been reborn and changed drastically from their original selves. Maybe there is still a chance her Usagi is hidden away within Serenity.

A sigh diverts her attention from her musings.

"You have that look again," comments the blond.

Rei cocks an eyebrow in confusion. "That look?"

"You look an old maid, reflecting on past deeds long gone in the sands of time. You look… forlorn."

Looking away from the blue eyes that gaze at her so piercingly, Rei ponders about how to answer. It is no lie, what Amora had said. She feels like she's already lived a lifetime and is looking back on it with a hint of longing and sadness. After all, there is no way to return to it. But she is excited for the future she can create here. If she can actually manage to stop the fall of the Moon Kingdom, what would their futures hold? How much would things differ for them? She is just as terrified as she is excited, and when she feels afraid, her mind drifts back to her time spent with her friends at the temple, or the arcade. She indeed, misses each of them dearly. They'd all grown into her lonely life, and she feels lost and bereft without them near.

Shaking herself out of her dreary thoughts, Rei smiles down at the blond faintly. Her eyes are still distant. "There are times that my second life cloud's my vision and plays memories that are bittersweet." She grimaces. "Dang it. I'm starting to sound like you."

Amora giggles, grabbing Rei's arm and clinging to it. "Does that displease you so?"

Rei frowns down at her for a breath, trying to decide what her answer will be. She sighs. "If there were more than one of you, I'd be positively terrified. Minako and Usagi were quite close to being twins as it is. It was always a relief that they were each different enough that I never had to suffer there being a double of either of them."

Amora looks confused, blue eyes clouding a moment as she stares at the tall black haired woman. "I understand that this Minako is me, but who is Usagi? Were we so similar?"

Rei smiles fondly, forgetting for a moment where she is. "Usagi is my Princess. You and she looked similar enough to be mistaken for twins upon first glance. You both shared a taste in many things, and often were running off in pursuit of said tastes."

Amora looks intrigued, placing a delicate finger on her chin and staring in contemplation at the sky. "Usagi? Your princess?" Her eyes widen comically. "Dear Heart! Usagi is the Moon Princess?"

Rei blushes and ducks her head. She hadn't expected such an outburst. "Um yes. You two were quite good friends in my time…" She trails off as she notices Amora gawking at her.

"I'm FRIENDS with the MOON PRINCESS?"

Rei flinches at her loudness but nods anyway. "Yes."

The following screech nearly deafens her. She watches as Amora goes skipping around the jungle in a disturbingly similar fashion that Usagi did when someone mentioned food… or video games… or manga…

Anyway, time to calm her down.

"Amora, we need to keep moving. We still haven't made much progress and you'll…"

TWANG!

A moment later and both Rei and Amora are suspended high in the air by a disturbingly sturdy net.

Rei's eyebrow twitches. "What did I tell you?"

"Um, no skipping?" answers a nervous blond.

"And?" demands Rei, scowl firmly in place.

"We're… caught… again?"

Rei raises a threatening fist that trembles in suppressed anger. "A-mor-a!"

Amora squeals and began struggling uselessly to escape the priestess's temper. "I'll tell the Princess!" yelps the terrified blond.

It gives Rei pause.

Just as she decides the validity of that threat doesn't matter at the moment, someone decides to clear their throat.

Rei scowls at the interruption and looks down to find a very familiar face grinning up at the two of them.

"Makoto," whispers Rei, face blank with shock.

"Wow, they found us a lot sooner than expected," quips Amora, looking down at the tall brunette and her horde of guards in amusement.

'Makoto' is wearing stitched leathers dyed different greens and browns, making her almost invisible in the vegetation. She is holding a spear in one hand and wears a sword on her hip and a knife in her tall boot. Hair tied back in the customary high ponytail, Makoto's past self is just as Rei remembers. The tall girl's green eyes sparkle with suppressed mirth even though her lips are thinned into a serious line.

"Who are you and what are you doing wandering around in our forest?" demands the tall brunette. She eyes them critically. "Besides, at the rate you're going, you're going to set off all our hunting traps."

Rei's eye twitches again. "Forgive our intrusion and my hapless companion. She's rather inept at avoiding traps."

Amora huffs indignantly. "It is impolite to speak so!"

Rei levels a flat look at her. "Then explain to me how we ended up here if not for your actions?"

Amora starts sputtering at the raven haired woman when someone jabs the net with their spear.

"Answer!" demands one of the guards.

Rei almost rolls her eyes. Almost.

"I'm here to speak with the rulers of this planet. There is a dire situation that needs immediate attention." She tries to look calm and regal.

'Makoto' snorts. "And we should let you because?"

"Because war is not a trifle matter," Rei practically growls.

That causes everyone to tense and several of the guards to raise their weapons again.

"You threaten the great Jupitians?" hisses Makoto.

Twitch.

"No. I'm saying that there is threat of war and I'm here as a messenger to prevent it."

"So you _are_ here to pick a fight! We don't negotiate with war bringers!" roars another guard.

Rei wants something hard to hit her head on.

"You're not listening," she says tightly, watching as they all edge closer threateningly.

Irritated all the more at their actions, Rei grabs Amora protectively and allows her natural element to swirl around them. It destroys the net most effectively and causes their captors to leap back in alarm. She drops to the ground and lands gracefully with Amora still held protectively in her arms. She locks eyes with the brunette that is still watching them warily.

"Heed my words, Princess," she directs at Makoto. "I am Princess Exura, Heir to the Martian throne. My traveling companion is Princess Amora, Heir to the Venusian throne. We come in peace, sending a message of great importance regarding the continued vitality of _all_ of our home worlds." She is standing erectly, head held high, eyes alight with confidence. She looks every inch the princess she claims to be.

The Makoto look alike sighs. "Well damn. We get visitors for the first time in ages and they're royalty spouting off things about war." She frowns a moment before straightening up to her full height and towering over the other two women. "I am Princess Tempest, one of twenty three children of the current King and Queen of Jupiter."

Rei lifts her eyebrow a moment. Tempest seems to understand the question in the raven haired girl's eyes for she shrugs nonchalantly.

"No one has been chosen as Heir, yet." The Juptian looks to her guards and waves them down. "They are our honored guests. We shall take them to see the King and Queen immediately."

The guards don't look pleased but comply immediately. Tempest smirks and waves at the Martian to follow her.

Rei gives Amora a warning look before setting her on her feet. Amora blushes lightly and quickly falls in step beside the raven haired girl as they follow the Jupiter Princess deeper into the jungle.

Just as Rei opens her mouth to ask a few questions of their guide….

TWANG!

"Of all the pits of fire-y hell! Amora! I swear if you're doing this on purpose I'll roast you alive myself!" roars an irate Rei as Amora squeals in fright from the treetops.

Tempest comes to stand next to Rei, leaning in a comfortable hunch on her spear as she looks up at the dangling blond. "You really need to train her."

The "twitch" takes over with a vengeance as Rei growls up at the blond that is looking everywhere but at her. "I think I'm going to send her to boot camp hell," growls Rei.

Tempest lifts a curious eyebrow. "Boot camp hell?"

A decidedly sinister smirk crosses the raven haired woman's lips. "Yes, boot camp hell will do wonders for her."

Tempest seems slightly unsure as she glances up at the blond again with a tad bit of sympathy. "Will she be well?"

Rei's chuckle only deepens the brunette's worry.

"She'll be _well_ taken care of." Rei then proceeds to cut Amora down and stare the poor blond down. "Amora, you are currently in very much need of training. Seeing as your own family has… neglected that area, I'm going to send you to an expert… trainer."

Amora is obviously conflicted whether she should be excited or terrified. "Trianing?"

"Yes, training, training for all that _adventuring_ you want to do."

The heavy sarcasm and look in the priestess's eyes is definitely starting to scare Amora. "Um, how do you purpose to-"

Rei quickly whips out a piece of parchment and scribbles something on it. She then makes it disappear in a small puff of smoke. She turns and grins in a most Cheshire like way at Amora. "Train hard, Princess." She pokes Amora with her index finger in the middle of the forehead. As soon as Amora blinks, she disappears in a puff of smoke.

* * *

**A/N:** For those who are bearing with me, I thank you! I have been extremely busy with college classes, and I haven't had a computer in a little over a year. I just recently got a new computer and have a little bit of spare time in which to write. I've been losing many precious hours of sleep to get this out, and I hope that I can keep pushing out new chapters. I have a few more I've done for my other stories and I hope to be posting them after I work out any kinks after a couple re-reads. Thank you for patience and your time to read said stories.

-bow-


	8. Two Many Faces

Rei is really starting to wonder about her brilliance in searching out each of the Senshii personally. As if her experience earlier today didn't dictate the possible horrors these endeavors would bring. Around her stood Makoto's family. Now, for most, that seems like nothing… until you recall that Makoto's family in this era is HUGE. Twenty-three siblings! _Twenty-three_! Rei can barely imagine such a thing. She thought her two brothers were a handful. Thinking on it, it made sense though. Makoto was very motherly, but also very protective and always ready to stand her ground for the right reasons. It explained a lot of Makoto's personality in their rebirth. However, Makoto still had that humbleness too, that "I'm no one special" attitude, which could also be explained by the large family. It was easy to get lost in the crowd, talents over looked.

Rei is both frustrated and proud for Makoto, and… completely unsure how to drop her little Senshii bomb.

She clears her throat.

Not a single eye blinks, as all in the room rest solely on her.

"Forgive my sudden intrusion. There are grave matters to discuss and time is of the essence. My family is well known for bearing Seers. I'm not certain how much more knowledge of us is spread throughout the System, so bear with me while I give a brief overview. Seers are different from the Time Keepers. We don't have a Gate to look through and pick an outcome we hope comes to fruition. We have a window that is often fogged over. We get visions of the most likely event to happen. Unlike the Gate Keepers, we can actively warn or prevent said events from happening, or work towards making them a reality if they are positive. We are not bound by an oath to inhibit our will to change the future."

Rei pauses, eyes looking the two Monarchs in the eye. "I say this because our family has aided in avoiding major disasters that the Gate Keepers speak not about. This has caused both grief and celebration, for we can't always fix what is to come." Again, she pauses. She glances about the room to see if her words are sinking in and waiting for questions.

"This is all very enlightening, but we would love to hear what your vision was and why it is important to us."

Rei dips her head at the Queen respectfully. "My vision has importance because it effects all of our kingdoms, even the Moon. Shortly after the Moon Princess starts her birthday celebration, we shall be attacked; all of our kingdoms will fall to battle. It will start at the Outer Rings and wash over the rest of our kingdoms in a sweeping tide. The Senshii will be called forth prior to the birthday celebration, but their timing is off. Their in-experience as a team will cost us everything. All will perish. Only the Moon Queen's last dying wish saves a select few. Those select few were the Senshii, the Moon Princess, and Earth's Prince. No kingdom survives but Earth, and no one from any other planet but for those the Queen saved."

Eyes are wide with disbelief at the news.

"Surely you exaggerate…" starts the King. His scruffy face is troubled as his dark eyes peer searchingly at Rei.

Rei scowls, eyes fierce. "I have no need or will to exaggerate. My tale is truth. In the future, only Earth has life. We are no longer remembered. We are hardly fairy tale myths. The Senshii awake again, but this time, things are changed. All those reborn are forced to fight. They each die multiple deaths, and yet on they fight, continuously at war alone, hidden behind fake identities. To be honest, it's both crushing and uplifting to witness their struggles. If you need validation, I can name the Senshii, and the dates all of this is to occur. I can even list our enemies. However, that is beside the point. The Moon Queen has commanded a meeting of all Senshii to be held at the moon so we can prepare for the fight to come. Further actions and meetings will be held between the kingdoms so that no one is left unaided or unprepared."

Rei stares hard at everyone, forcing her piercing gaze into their souls. "I'm here for Jupiter's Senshii. As it was my vision, I've been tasked to find and unite the Senshii. I refuse to let us die out because we were unprepared. I learned a lot in my vision. The most important factor was the Senshii teamwork. I believe that preparing early will save all of us and prevent our destruction. I humbly ask for your cooperation in this matter. Our diligence will be our saving grace."

"Why travel to each planet? A simple message would suite the situation if indeed time is of import." The Queen stares hard at Rei.

Rei has the decency to blush. "The only names I know are those of the future after rebirth. I couldn't find the Senshii other than by face identification."

"What name do you have form the future for Jupiter's Senshii?" asks the King curiously.

"Makoto," answers Rei. Seeing his intrigue, Rei continues without hesitation. "Kino, Makoto. She was a skilled fighter. Her greatest strength was her unflappable determination to protect those important to her, and that protection extended to those who didn't have the power to protect themselves."

All eyes drift to the females in the room. Rei smirks at the few pairs of eyes lingering on a specific brunette. The rest either wander curiously or locked on one of the elder female heirs.

"I know a vision inspires you, but what if your vision proves incorrect? What if those you choose are not the Senshii because you've already altered the future by being here?"

Rei halts a breath. She had not thought of that, but it is a valid point. She shakes herself.

"It is possible that I have changed things already and caused a different selection process. I personally am convinced they will not change, despite their differences in preparedness. I belief that we are connected by a string of Fate that will not allow us the freedom of escape."

A short silence lingers but a moment before the Queen speaks up again.

"You speak as if you are one of the said chosen."

The priestess internally curses herself; that is the second time she's unintentionally mentioned her involvement as more than just a Seer. "I speak what I've seen. Though not un-heard of, it is usually rare for heirs of the Royal Kingdom to be chosen. My vision heralded a new beginning altogether, an event thought never to occur. _All_ of the chosen Senshii of this generation will be heirs, Princesses by blood from each main Kingdom."

A collective gasp fills the air.

"That is impossible!" roars the King. He eyes his children with a hint of panic.

Rei bows deeply, as if trying to apologize for the news. "Despite it never happening in the past, the Senshii of this choosing are each unique and special in their own right. They all have different gifts and attitudes that will mesh together to form a team never before seen, a team that will do the impossible time and time again. And, to be honest, this generation is going to need that. Our foes will be nearly impossible to overcome. This might be our saving grace."

They stare at her agape.

The Queen recovers first, her frosted brown braid brushing the ground as she shakes her head. "I fear asking who the chosen is. However, we have as much duty to fulfill as you in this matter. Please, as all our children were summoned for this meeting, locate your foreseen Senshii."

Rei bows again, feeling the worry and tension in the room settle on her shoulders. It makes her feel aged, burdened with the responsibility of Makoto's life and the consequences of that responsibility. If things don't go as hoped, the raven-haired girl will be responsible, and it terrifies her if she stops to contemplate it.

The priestess stands and turns to face the heirs. Her mouth is dry, her palms sweaty. Facing so many expecting eyes is daunting… if not downright fearsome. She holds fate in her hand, and they know it. Despite her misgivings, she takes the time to look at each of them. She is amused by the resemblances. They all have brown hair; it varies only in shade, length, and style. They are all tall and lithe, bodies toned and tan by training and survival. Unlike most planets, Jupiter consists mostly of wild jungle terrain. Their cities and towns are built into and with local materials, and it is rare to see metal, brick, or plaster used at all. From a young age they are taught how to survive the wilds, giving them keen senses and strong physiques.

Rei gives an inaudible sigh. She wistfully hopes that Makoto wouldn't hate her for Fate's decision.

Raising an arm, Rei begins to point…

Only for several startled cries to sound and to watch several bodies get knocked over. The priestess finds herself confronted with a completely new brunette, one that has the same shockingly deep green eyes she'd seen earlier.

She blinks, eyes darting between the girl in front of her and Tempest, the one she'd just about pointed to. Her eyebrow twitches as the teen before her chuckles nervously.

"S-sorry! I was in the woods! Savren told me to come immediately. He said something important was happening." Said girl ducks her head and sheepishly peeks at her parents.

The Queen sighs, obviously resigned to the girl's behavior. "I told you all to gather earlier. Why did you not heed my call?"

The brunette before her cocks her head to the side. "What call?"

A young man quickly steps forward when the Queen's eye ticks dangerously. "Forgive me, your Highness'. I am at fault. I asked her assistance hunting down herbs for the evening meal. We were in an area the call wasn't able to reach."

The Queen barely restrains herself from rubbing her eyes. "Very well, Pate. Daughter, get in line with the others."

Clearly confused, the teen rushes over to her sisters and squeezes between Rei's target and the elder girl everyone eyed earlier.

Rei blinks, unable to withhold her comment. "Twins?"

Tempest rolls her eyes. "Grudgingly, yes. I'm the elder twin. My sister here is named Elysia. We were born during a storm that cleared up after our birth."

Elysia smiles charmingly at Rei and waves quickly. "My name means lightning struck! Apparently the house was struck when I cried." She giggles. "Mom says it's because the gods wanted me to be quiet."

Rei blanches. How in bloody hellfire is she supposed to pick now? The twins even wear their hair the same!

She closes her eyes in frustration, trying to block out the fact they wear similar clothing that matches their green eyes, and...

Wait.

Herbs?

Going with her gut, her eyes snap open and look inquiringly at Elysia. Said heiress only has a knife in her boot, no other weapons; that is the only difference between the twins so far.

"Why were you gathering herbs?" asks Rei.

Elysia smiles warmly. "I like cooking for the family. There's a rotation set up so we each work fairly, but I usually help cook anyway. Everyone's usually so busy that proper healthy meals aren't always prepared."

The other royals have guilty blushes on their face.

A little boy squeals happily. "Elsy makes best yummies!" He claps in excitement, making all spare a smile for him.

Elysia coos and swings him into her arms. He giggles and gently slaps her cheeks.

Tempest doesn't move, standing with arms crossed and a bored look on her face.

Rei closes her eyes in prayer to the Sacred Fire. She can't afford to be wrong. A gentle red glow surrounds her, and some of the weight on her shoulders lessens.

Her body moves of its own accord, arms weaving in a complicated pattern. As onlookers gaze in rapt attention, it looks like Rei is weaving a spool of thread. The motions stop, and Rei tugs at something invisible. In her inner eye, she's tugging on a green thread.

A smile pulls at Rei's lips.

"Found you," she whispers.

In the silence, everyone hears her.

Stepping forward, she follows the thread. Her hand touches an arm. She frowns.

"It's not you." She gently pushes them aside. She takes a few more steps and turns. She walks forward again, soon finding a second arm. She shakes her head. "No." She spins around and growls. "Stop trying to hide!" A burst of fire explodes from her fingertips. She grits her teeth and yanks on the thread.

A yelp and a thud at her feet make her smirk and the fire to dissipate. She tugs a couple more times on the thread.

"Hey!" protests a voice.

Rei opens her eyes and grins at the girl at her feet. "I told you to stop hiding."

Elysia huffs and grumbles something as she rubs her tailbone.

"You chose her?" demands a startled voice.

Rei turns to find the elder sister scowling furiously at her.

"Yes, I choose her. She's the one."

"Impossible!" argues the elder heiress. "She can't even handle weapons properly!"

Rei's lips press into a tight line. "Being a Senshii has nothing to do with current skills. If it did, Princess Amora would never have been chosen."

"That's true," snickered Tempest. She held her hand out to Elysia. "Get up, goof. You've gotta uphold your name now." She helps Elysia stand. "Make us proud." She smiles warmly. It startles Rei a moment, as the girl had looked uncaring since arrival.

Elysia looks uncertain. "But you-"

"No." Tempest shakes her head. "I would be proud to be a Senshii, but I am not qualified. You are special, Elysia. You finally have a chance to prove yourself. Don't waste it."

Rei is internally happy to hear the comment; she'd been worried after she'd heard Tempest's earlier statement.

Tempest brought her twin into a tight embrace. "Be brave, little sister," she whispers. "You were always the strongest of us two."

She lets go and steps away with a wink.

"I don't understand," says Elysia. "What do you mean chosen as a Senshii? I thought the ceremony wasn't for a while yet."

"It wasn't," replies Rei, placing a comforting hand on the teen's shoulder. "I've had a vision of a bleak and desolate future. I'm here to change it by gathering the Senshii sooner then they were to be summoned originally."

The brunette still looks uncertain.

"This is a mistake!" hisses the eldest sister. "She is more a cook than a fighter! There is no way she's the chosen Senshii!"

A quick flash of fire signifies Rei's anger as she whirls to face the obtuse sibling. "Enough! It is not your choice! If I'm proven wrong, so be it! But _you_ were never a candidate, so stop harping! A Senshii must have heart! And you seem to have none!"

The brunette snarled, drawing her sword. "Such a slight against me... You shall pay!"

Several shouts split the air, but none are prepared for what happens next.

A cry of pain and the squelching sound of a blade entering flesh freeze all.

Blood splatters on the floor, loud in the echoing silence.

"What-have-you-done?"


	9. Signs and Pain

Rei gasps, her body frozen as she hears the sound of blood dripping onto the floor. Her eyes seem glued open, voice seemingly lost to the void as she stares at her attacker in horror.

A scream rends the air, and the moment breaks.

Rei watches as the closest body in front of her lurches forward, catching the second body as it crumbles. Rei finds her feet moving on their own shifting around them to take in the scene. Elysia is holding Tempest, who lies with a sword partially lodged in her abdomen as it had been removed a bit when her body fell. Blood is pooling beneath them. Tempest is already unconscious. Rei panics, knowing her kidney must have been hit.

Voices are screaming for a healer. The elder sibling is staring blankly at her sisters at her feet. Rei can't decide if she wants to completely fry the woman or kneel next to Elysia. She wishes she could help heal the dying teen, but her talents will only work on exterior wounds, not internal ones. It would take a true healer to fix the internal problems. Sealing and cauterizing exterior wounds would be her only means of helping someone. As this isn't a "flesh wound", there's nothing she can do to offer assistance.

The priestess is in motion to kneel next to Elysia. Healers are storming into the room. Rei's knee just hits the floor when a second scream rends the air.

Elysia clings to her twin, weeping hysterically. The healers try to close in, but it's obvious it's too late. One healer grabs Tempest's wrist, everyone watching with baited breath. The fall of the healer's face is all the answer anyone needs.

The King and Queen are on the floor now, holding their lost child along with her twin. All the other siblings close in grasping each other for comfort as they bow their heads with tears in their eyes. The young boy from earlier is sobbing brokenly into one of his siblings arms. Rei is surrounded by them, arms on her shoulders as she too mourns the loss.

She isn't sure how long they all sit this way. Her despair over the first loss before the war even begins leaves a sickening coil of disgust in her stomach. It doesn't help that she had been the target, and yet she is the one to live. Slowly, her rage starts to build, her thoughts repeatedly tumbling over themselves as they replay the scene. Just as she rises to her feet, a growl from Elysia gives everyone pause.

Elysia is the most gracious, caring, and lovable person any of the Jupitains' had seen. She had never lost her temper or raised her hand in malice. However, they can all feel the wash of pure rage that emanates from her now. She jumps, landing squarely on her feet just out of reach of her parents and before her murdering sister. Elysia is soaked in blood; even her hands are coated in its thick sticky grasp. Her green eyes visibly glow as her body shakes with fury.

Before any can blink, Elysia raises her hand sharply, palm towards the ceiling. Roots shoot out of the ground, thick and gnarled. They ensnare the startled princess gaping at her. Elysia snarls, whipping her other hand out and across her torso in a clawing motion. Thorny vines shoot from the walls themselves to wring themselves around each of the traitors exposed limbs. The woman screams as the thorns tear at her flesh. With a heavy thrust of her hands towards the floor, hands facing downward with fingers curled, Elysia forces her elder sister to her knees.

Everyone gawks at the show of power, power none of them knew she even possessed except the Martian.

"You!" growls Elysia, her voice deep, guttural. "You not only strike at an emissary, a ROYAL emissary, you strike down your own flesh and blood!" Her hands begin to twist and flex, and the vines surrounding the woman begin to writhe in a horrifying fashion. Elysia heeds not the screams that emit from her sibling as she continues her motions. "I commit thee have done a treasonous deed! You have brought shame upon your house, your family, and your planet! You have been cast out of each! You are no longer of this house! You are no longer of this family! You are no longer Jupitian! I sentence thee to roam the wilds unaided! You shall be a shadow, a wraith, a ghost to all! You shall not EXIST! You will not enter any building, city, or home! You are exiled from all! When you die, the jungle will feast on you and let your carcass rot in unacknowledged shame! Let your soul be cast for judgment, and pray that the gods have mercy for your unforgivable sin!"

A shine of light flares, blinding them all; it signals the finality of the judgment enacted by Elysia, a show of pure and raw power to signify her royalty in the most devastating of fashions. It's meaning strikes witnesses mute.

Her arms drop, hands going still. A mass of roots and vines alike fall to the floor; leaving only a certain few woven so tightly to the traitor's limbs, they are like permanent twisted jewelry. The woman's wrists, biceps, head, waist, ankles and thighs are bound in such a fashion, the thorns on those vines allowing that every movement would be agony for as long as she lived, feeding off her very blood for sustenance. The pain is visible on the woman's face.

Elysia's face is emotionless, unaffected by the sight. "You are the Nameless. These vines will be your brand, your mark of sin. All who see them will know of your deed and know to ignore you and your pleas. They can never be removed. May they remind you of your sin, so that you will understand it fully." Elysia sneers, visibly restraining herself from doing more. "Leave." She growls when her sister hesitates, looking to her family for support. All eyes look away. "LEAVE!" roars Elysia. A flash of lightening lights up the room from outside and is followed closely by a loud clap of thunder that shakes the entire building.

Rei can feel the power of the storm, its link to Elysia… It leaves the raven haired woman in awe. Sometimes she forgets that Makoto had shown talent in both areas in the future, and that it seems the girl's power stems completely of all of Mother Nature, not just a piece of it. Inaudibly, the raven haired woman chuckles to herself; it figures, that her caring and mothering friend would have such a talent.

The Nameless ran from the room at the show of power, gob smacked that her "talentless" sister had power none of them came close to possessing.

Elysia remains stone-faced until the Nameless is out of sight. As soon as the woman's figure disappears, Elysia collapses into tears. Both monarchs move to her, wrapping her in their arms once more. The Queen croons softly while the King mutters quiet never ending lines of "there, there".

Rei is left standing uncertainly. Punishment has been dealt. Her mission to find the chosen was successful. But now, she isn't certain what to do. She needed to know if Elysia knew to go to the Moon and when she would be headed there. She also didn't want to interrupt because she knew that the brunette was distraught and had every right to grieve, but had no idea what to do with herself.

She glanced down at Tempest. A glint of metal caught her eye.

The clack of heels fills the hall, bringing every eye to her. She steadfastly ignores them, intent upon her target. Dropping to a knee, she reaches out and gingerly takes the knife from Tempest's boot. She hears several members of the family shift around her, but she doesn't let it distract her as she stands once more. She cups the dagger in her hand, dark amethyst eyes taking in every single detail. She smiles softly before closing her eyes and focusing her power.

What she is attempting is dangerous. It takes a large quantity of talent, experience, and focus. She'd made other such attempts in the past and failed horribly, leaving several harsh scars on her flesh. She has only met one other person who could do this, and her father only uses it on rare, very rare, occasions.

The blade in her hands becomes surrounded in a blaze of fire. It twists and flares, bringing gasps from those watching. She focuses more intently, her hands unharmed from the tendrils of heat. Everyone watches in shock as the flames slowly begin to change colors, from a happy merry orange to a subdued but intense blue. The knife's shape begins to change, to warp. The flames lift it from her hands and hold it several inches from her grasp. It begins to shrink upon itself, swirling tightly until it forms a molten glowing sphere of metal. Rei slowly brings her hands further into the fire, eyes seeing past it, into it. She is using her inner sight to feel out the magic, to twist the fire to forge the metal. Her hands encase the red hot glowing glob of metal, and she cannot help the wince that overtakes her.

Pushing past the pain, she feeds her will upon the metal, condensing it, forming it anew.

The hall is now utterly silent. Everyone is transfixed by her actions. They watch as sweat beads across her brow and across her upper lip. Her breathing becomes quick, tight. Her hair wafts around her from the power she's emitting. Small tendrils of smoke rise from her hands, proof that she is not doing this unscathed.

With a final gasp, she releases her power. Trembling, her hands fall to her sides, unable to remain aloft. A metal clink follows the motion as she sways on her feet. Several eyes stray to the dropped item while the rest eye her warily. Bravely, the young boy clambers out of his brother's arms and over to the dropped item. He bends down and reaches for it. Several cries of alarm fill the air, but he picks up the item without any hesitation.

He doesn't recoil in pain. He simply holds the item up in awe. After glancing at Rei, who nods, he smiles and happily bounds over to his sister and holds out his prize with a wide grin. "It's for you!" he says proudly.

She gapes at him. Her glance darts between their guest and her brother before her hand slowly opens before him. He drops it into her palm. She brings it close to inspect. Her eyes widen.

A small timid rose sits in her palm. The petals are seemingly frail, but the obvious dark waves in the metal show the layered quality that gives it strength; it also lends it a beautiful pattern that looked splendid. It isn't overly large. It is small enough that it makes a nice sized pendant without being bulky and uncomfortable. It hangs from a chain without the usual hook, leaving the flower unmarred and lovely.

Tears fill the brunette's eyes. "It's lovely," she says, voice trembling.

Rei smiles slightly at her, chest filling with joy that she could give her friend such a gift even in the face of such tragedy.

A wave of disorientation washes over her, and Rei finds herself immediately held up by several hands as her body threatens to collapse on her.

"Quickly, take her to a room to rest. I think any more discussions can wait 'til the morrow. You." She points at a healer. "Follow and look after her hands." The Queen nods brusquely at her family and servants who scamper to follow her command. She looks at her daughter who still is entangled in her arms. "I think some rest would do you well, too. It was an unsavory thing that has happened this day, but I am proud of the way you handled it. I was worried for you, being chosen, but now I see that worry is unnecessary." She places a kiss upon Elysia's brow. "You have made me proud this day, my child. I have no doubt you will continue to do so even when you leave us." She smiles warmly at her child before pulling the three of them to their feet. "Now, off to bed, young one. We shall all have a busy day tomorrow."

Elysia glances at her fallen twin.

The King clicks his tongue. "Relax, young one. She will be cared for. You will have a chance to say your goodbyes to her before you leave, I promise."

She nods slowly and her father is quick to embrace her tightly. He gently pulls her along towards the family's chambers.

The Queen waits until they are out of sight before turning to the servants. "Please, prepare her for tomorrow. I know it is hurried, but I fear my child will leave, and I want her to see off her twin. I want word spread of what has happened here this day. I want it noted in the records and marked that the Nameless one has been branded for her sins, punished by the un-named heir." She scoffs at her servants gasps. "Yes, she is the heir, but her duties as Senshii pull her from it. We all saw the sign. However, I cannot willfully name her the heir for she is needed elsewhere. No matter our desire, the need of all will eventually take her from us and put her where she is supposed to be. I cannot argue that, as much as I wish it. Now go, I foresee the morrow being a very long day indeed."

She turns away sharply, her gown snapping as she does so. She is so swift, no one is able to see the tears running down their Queen's cheeks.


End file.
